[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 132 (Thursday, October 19, 2000)]
[House]
[Pages H10454-H10457]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
{time} 1945
EXPRESSING SUPPORT OF CONGRESS FOR ACTIVITIES REGARDING MULTIPLE
SCLEROSIS
Mr. TAUZIN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the
concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 271) expressing the support of
Congress for activities to increase public awareness of multiple
sclerosis.
The Clerk read as follows:
H. Con. Res. 271
Whereas multiple sclerosis is a chronic and often disabling
disease of the central nervous system which often first
appears in people between the ages of 20 and 40, with
lifelong physical and emotional effects;
Whereas multiple sclerosis is twice as common in women as
in men;
Whereas an estimated 250,000 to 350,000 individuals suffer
from multiple sclerosis nationally;
Whereas symptoms of multiple sclerosis can be mild, such as
numbness in the limbs, or severe, such as paralysis or loss
of vision;
Whereas the progress, severity, and specific symptoms of
multiple sclerosis in any one person cannot yet be predicted;
Whereas the annual cost to each affected individual
averages $34,000, and the total cost can exceed $2 million
over an individual's lifetime;
Whereas the annual cost of treating all people who suffer
from multiple sclerosis in the United States is nearly $9
billion;
Whereas the cause of multiple sclerosis remains unknown,
but genetic factors are believed to play a role in
determining a person's risk for developing multiple
sclerosis;
Whereas many of the symptoms of multiple sclerosis can be
treated with medications and rehabilitative therapy;
Whereas new treatments exist that can slow the course of
the disease, and reduce its severity;
Whereas medical experts recommend that all people newly
diagnosed with relapse-remitting multiple sclerosis begin
disease-modifying therapy;
Whereas finding the genes responsible for susceptibility to
multiple sclerosis may lead to the development of new and
more effective ways to treat the disease;
Whereas increased funding for the National Institutes of
Health would provide the opportunity for research and the
creation of programs to increase awareness, prevention, and
education; and
Whereas Congress as an institution, and Members of Congress
as individuals, are in unique positions to help raise public
awareness about the detection and treatment of multiple
sclerosis and to support the fight against multiple
sclerosis: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate
concurring), That it is the sense of Congress that--
(1) all Americans should take an active role in the fight
to end the devastating effects of multiple sclerosis on
individuals, their families, and the economy;
(2) the role played by national and community organizations
and health care professionals in promoting the importance of
continued funding for research, and in providing information
about and access to the best medical treatment and support
services for people with multiple sclerosis should be
recognized and applauded;
(3) the Federal Government has a responsibility to--
(A) continue to fund research so that the causes of, and
improved treatment for, multiple sclerosis may be discovered;
(B) continue to consider ways to improve access to, and the
quality of, health care services for people with multiple
sclerosis;
(C) endeavor to raise public awareness about the symptoms
of multiple sclerosis; and
(D) endeavor to raise health professional's awareness about
diagnosis of multiple sclerosis and the best course of
treatment for people with the disease.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Gutknecht). Pursuant to the rule, the
gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Tauzin) and the gentleman from Ohio (Mr.
Brown) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Tauzin).
General Leave
Mr. TAUZIN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may
have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks
and include extraneous material on House Concurrent Resolution 271.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Louisiana?
There was no objection.
Mr. TAUZIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 5 minutes.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.Con.Res. 271, which expresses the
support of Congress for activities to increase public awareness of
multiple sclerosis. I salute the gentleman from Rhode Island (Mr.
Weygand), the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Shimkus), the
[[Page H10455]]
gentlewoman from Maryland (Mrs. Morella), and the gentleman from New
Jersey (Mr. Smith) for their work in bringing this resolution to the
floor today.
Multiple sclerosis is a chronic, often disabling, disease of the
central nervous system. Symptoms may be mild, such as numbness in the
limbs, or they can be terribly severe, like paralysis or loss of
vision.
Most people with MS are diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 40, but
the unpredictable physical and emotional threats can be lifelong. The
progress, severity, and specific symptoms of MS for any person cannot
yet be predicted; but advances in research and treatment are giving
hope to those who have been afflicted by the disease.
Thanks to the dedication of Congress over the last 6 years in
doubling the budget of the NIH, many advances have been made in the war
against MS. Over the last decade, for instance, our knowledge of the
immune system has grown at an amazing rate. Major gains have been made
in recognizing and defining the role of the system in the development
of MS lesions, giving scientists the ability to devise ways to alter
the immune response.
New imaging tools, such as Magnetic Resonance Imaging, have redefined
the natural history and are proving invaluable in monitoring the
disease activity. Scientists are now able, for example, to visualize
and follow the development of MS lesions in the brain and spinal cord
using MRIs, and this ability is a tremendous aid in the assessment of
new therapies and can speed the process of evaluating new treatments.
With all the important contributions made by bioimaging and
bioengineering in the field of MS diagnostics, we would be remiss at
this time if we did not make reference to the House-passed National
Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Engineering Establishment Act, H.R.
1795, which was sponsored by my colleague on the Committee on Commerce,
the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Burr). Magnetic resonance
imaging and computed tomography have revolutionized the practice of
medicine in the past quarter century; yet there is still not a center
at NIH that brings imaging and engineering into focus.
Mr. Speaker, I encourage Members to communicate with those in the
other body concerning the importance of enacting H.R. 1795, and ask
that we all join together in voting for this concurrent resolution, H.
Con. Res. 271, to express our strong support for increasing public
awareness of multiple sclerosis and hopefully an end to the dreaded
disease through proper treatment, diagnosis, and, eventually one day,
prevention.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to support the resolution introduced by the
gentleman from Rhode Island (Mr. Weygand), which focuses our attention
on a serious chronic illness that currently affects as many as one-
third of a million individuals in this country, mostly women.
Multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune disorder that alters the lives of
those afflicted by it in profound and tragically unpredictable ways. It
is notoriously difficult to diagnose because its constellation of
symptoms vary from patient to patient and often mimic other illnesses.
Once it is diagnosed, it is impossible to predict the severity or the
course of the illness. The range of symptoms patients may experience is
broad: extreme fatigue, impaired vision, loss of balance and muscle
coordination, slurred speech, tremors, stiffness, difficulty walking,
short-term memory loss, mood swings, and, in severe cases, partial or
complete paralysis.
Again, Mr. Speaker, individuals have no way of knowing whether or
when they may experience these symptoms. The uncertainty around MS
obviously heightens the trauma for patients and their families, and it
creates unique challenges for providers and researchers alike.
There is no cure for MS, yet; but there have been significant
advances in treating and understanding this illness. The Nation owes a
debt of gratitude to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, which not
only funds groundbreaking research into the causes and treatment of MS,
but raises public awareness and advocates for more public sector
involvement to combat this disease.
The resolution offered by the gentleman from Rhode Island (Mr.
Weygand) affirms that we are listening to the MS Society, to women and
men with MS and their families, and to the researchers, including
researchers at the National Institutes of Health funded by taxpayers
working hard to beat this illness.
While I believe, Mr. Speaker, that the Weygand resolution is
important, we should be doing so much more on health care in this
Chamber. We should be passing a prescription drug benefit for Medicare
beneficiaries and do something about high prescription drug prices.
That is the best thing we could do for people that are victims of
multiple sclerosis. We should be passing a Patients' Bill of Rights.
That is the second best thing we should do for people afflicted with
multiple sclerosis.
This resolution helps, but this Congress should get back to town, get
back to work, pass the Patients' Bill of Rights, pass the prescription
drug legislation, and pass this concurrent resolution, H.Con.Res. 271.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. TAUZIN. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 3 minutes to my
friend, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Thornberry).
Mr. THORNBERRY. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend from Louisiana for
yielding me time.
Mr. Speaker, as a cosponsor of this resolution, I rise in support of
it and of the goals that it puts before Congress and the country. MS
affects my family, and over the last few years, I have learned a lot
about the disease and about the efforts under way to fight it.
I would like to make just three brief points on this resolution.
First, there are some truly heroic efforts going on every day all
around the country to battle this disease. MS Societies in community
after community help raise funds for research, help increase awareness,
and help MS patients and their families to deal with the challenges
that this disease brings.
At the National Institutes of Health and other institutions, some of
the country's best minds and most caring people are working hard every
day to find answers to the many questions which remain about this
disease. I think it is appropriate for us to recognize and honor those
efforts.
Secondly, this Congress is on track to double over 5 years' medical
research funding at NIH. Much of the medical research is conducted by
private companies and researchers; but the Federal Government has an
important role to play, and we have got to pull our weight if we are to
find answers to diseases such as MS. I am proud this Congress has set
doubling the funding for NIH as a goal, and we are on our way at
achieving it.
Third, there are some unnecessary impediments to providing MS
patients with the best possible treatments, and we have to commit to
removing those impediments as soon as possible. There are drugs, for
example, that have shown very promising results in Canada and Europe,
but are unavailable to patients in the United States because of FDA's
interpretation of the Orphan Drug Act, which, in my view, is misguided
and certainly contrary to the intentions of Congress when it originally
passed the Orphan Drug Act.
I have introduced legislation on this matter and the Committee on
Commerce has begun to look into it, but for those of us concerned about
fighting MS and a host of other diseases, correcting this problem with
the Orphan Drug Act must be a priority in the next Congress.
I certainly look forward to working with my friend from Louisiana and
all of my colleagues to making sure that very soon MS is a disease of
the past.
Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman
from California (Ms. Millender-McDonald), who strongly supports the
Patients' Bill of Rights and prescription drug legislation and worked
on this issue also.
Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman in charge
of this resolution on the other side, as well as the gentleman from
Ohio (Mr. Brown) on this side.
[[Page H10456]]
Mr. Speaker, I do rise in support of this concurrent resolution. I
had several friends who were stricken by this disease in their early to
late twenties, so it has become second nature to me in trying to fight
to ensure that we get the type of support and the type of funding for
such a disease.
Mr. Speaker, we recognize that multiple sclerosis is twice as common
in women as in men, and while we tend to recognize the importance of
fighting this disease for everyone, it is clearly one that poses a
problem with women who have been stricken with this disease. My friend,
who had three children, once she received word that she had this, her
husband left her and she was there with this disease with the three
children. So it is very devastating to know that I speak from a
personal standpoint, in a sense, that young women who had finished
school with me were stricken with this.
We also recognize, Mr. Speaker, that an estimated 250,000 to 350,000
individuals suffer with multiple sclerosis nationwide, and this is why
there is a critical need for the Patients' Bill of Rights and for
prescription drugs, because it is tremendously expensive to have the
medicine to treat this type of disease. Oft times death comes.
So I come today to just simply say I too support this resolution, and
suggest that we must do everything we can to provide the funding and
the support for those who have been stricken with this very deadly
disease.
Mr. TAUZIN. Mr. Speaker, I am now very pleased to yield 5 minutes to
the gentlewoman from Maryland (Mrs. Morella), whose district includes
the National Institutes of Health, whose husband serves on the board of
the Children's Inn at NIH with my own wife Cecile, and who does such a
great job in representing and promoting the interests of our great
National Institutes of Health in Maryland.
Mrs. MORELLA. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me time
and for his very laudatory introduction. I appreciate that very much,
and appreciate his handling this bill on the floor and his support of
it. I also want to thank the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Brown) for his
work on health, which has been extraordinary.
As a cosponsor of H. Con. Res. 271, I am delighted to be here to
express my very strong support of it. It expresses the support of
Congress for activities to increase public awareness of multiple
sclerosis, and it calls on Congress to increase funding for the
National Institutes of Health. In fact, we have been doing that, and I
must commend this House of Representatives for embarking on that 5-year
plan to double the budget by 2003 for the National Institutes of
Health.
I represent the National Institutes of Health, as the gentleman from
Louisiana (Mr. Tauzin) has mentioned, and have been a lead in getting a
letter out to our colleagues, which over 100 have signed, to the
gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Porter), who chairs an appropriations
subcommittee, asking for continuation of that plan.
As I mentioned, we have been on the right road to success, and I urge
our conference committee on the appropriations of the Labor-HHS bill to
continue the commitment and fund NIH $20.5 billion, which is a full 15
percent increase, an increase of $2.7 billion.
I am pleased to note that the National Institute of Neurological
Disorders and Stroke, which funds the research on MS, has seen
corresponding increases of 15.1 percent, bringing the fiscal year 2000
budget to $1.35 billion.
But let us look at the real cost of neurological disorders, which
number more than 600. They strike an estimated 50 million Americans
each year. They exact an incalculable personal toll and an annual
economic cost of hundreds of billions of dollars in medical expenses
and lost productivity. In fact, MS costs an individual an average of
$34,000 annually for therapy and treatment, and impacts as many as
350,000 Americans.
With passage of this resolution, we will speed up the race to find a
cure for MS. Passage of this resolution is vital because we also need
to increase public awareness of MS.
MS is an autoimmune disease in which the symptoms are believed to
occur when the immune system turns against itself. MS is a life-long,
unpredictable disease that randomly attacks the central nervous system,
brain and spinal cord, and more than twice as many women as men have
MS.
Passage of H. Con. Res. 271 will leverage H.R. 4665, the Children's
Health Act of 2000, which was recently passed by this House.
Title XIX of this bill, NIH Initiative on Autoimmune Diseases,
requires the director of NIH to expand, intensify and coordinate the
activities of NIH with respect to autoimmune diseases. This includes
forming an Autoimmune Diseases Coordinating Committee and Advisory
Council that will develop a plan for NIH activities related to
autoimmune diseases and to require different institutes within NIH to
provide a detailed report to Congress specifying how funds were spent
on autoimmune diseases.
{time} 2000
Mr. Speaker, H. Con. Res. 271 is a good bill. We must not forget that
virtually every hour someone is newly diagnosed with MS.
I would also like to take a moment and salute the National Multiple
Sclerosis Society for the work they have done over the past 50 years to
find a cure for MS and to improve the quality of life for people with
MS and their families.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H. Con. Res. 271 to
support the health of our Nation's citizens, and I particularly want to
thank the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Tauzin) for affording me this
time at this hour for this important resolution.
Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, I ask the House to support H. Con. Res. 271, a
resolution sponsored by the gentleman from Rhode Island (Mr. Weygand).
This resolution brings attention to a very particularly serious
disease, multiple sclerosis, that hits one third of a million
Americans, especially women.
It is important that this body encourage more research from whether
it is a Multiple Sclerosis Society or the National Institutes of
Health. It is also important, Mr. Speaker, that this Congress complete
its work before it goes home, before it adjourns sine die, that it
complete its work on prescription drug legislation and complete its
work on a patients' bill of rights.
Those two pieces of legislation will do more for patients suffering
from multiple sclerosis than anything else we can do. It will do more
for patients suffering from a whole host of very serious diseases. This
Congress has passed resolutions addressing in the last month, but the
Congress has failed to do the real work that we are here for, and that
is to provide prescription drugs for, and under Medicare for, senior
citizens to deal with the high costs of prescription drugs and to pass
a patients' bill of rights, which will turn the authority of medical
decisions to doctors and nurses and to patients and to take that
authority and take the decision-making away from insurance company
bureaucrats.
While I ask Congress to pass H. Con. Res. 271, I also ask this body
to pass a prescription drug bill and the patients' bill of rights.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. TAUZIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, in closing, let me first commend my friend, the
gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Brown) for his attention to this resolution
and for his help in supporting and getting this adopted by the House
tonight. This is indeed an important statement by the House of
Representatives about our interests and the Nation's interests in
finding better cures, therapies and, hopefully, preventive techniques
for this awful disease.
I also want to say that it is our extreme hope that we could agree on
a prescription drug proposal this year before we leave, too. I know
those negotiations are going on. I would hope we could complete them
before we leave, and I certainly hope, as we all do, we could agree on
HMO reform before we leave.
I can assure the gentleman that if, for obvious reasons, we are
incapable of reaching final accord with the White House and the Members
of the other body on these two important issues, they are going to rank
high on our committee's agenda next year, and we are going to address
those concerns as rapidly as we can next year.
[[Page H10457]]
But I want to again commend the gentleman and my friends on both
sides of the aisle tonight for their support of this important
concurrent resolution. I particularly again want to congratulate Tony
Morella and his wife, the gentlewoman from Maryland, (Mrs. Morella) who
represents NIH for their extraordinary dedication to that facility.
That facility daily finds cures and therapies and saves lives, and it
is incredible for its work, particularly with children stricken with
awful diseases. I want to again thank that incredible couple, Connie
and Tony Morella, for their excellent representation of that facility
here in this Chamber.
Mr. Speaker, NIH always enjoys great bipartisan support, and it will
continue to do so as we struggle to find answers to these terrible
diseases that ravage our population. Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of
the resolution.
Mr. WEYGAND. Mr. Speaker, there are many individuals to thank today
who have fought for the arrival of this Resolution on the House floor
this evening.
On this side of the Capitol, the Democratic Whip David Bonior and his
staff helped move this bill to the floor today. Also, my friend and
colleague, Chief Deputy Whip for the Majority, Roy Blunt, and his
staff--Trevor Blackann in particular, also helped us immensely.
Many other members of congress and their staff have played a crucial
role here, and I especially want to thank Ranking Member Sherrod Brown
and Chairman Bilirakis for moving this bill from the Commerce
Committee's Subcommittee on health and Environment.
Karl Moeller of my staff deserves a great deal of recognition for all
of his efforts as well.
In the other body, Senator Jack Reed introduced our Resolution and
worked to pass this measure with bipartisan support. I would like to
praise his work on behalf of MS patients everywhere.
Most importantly, however, is the effort put forward by the Rhode
Island chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and their
members in Rhode Island.
This Resolution is the culmination of a grass-roots effort, and a
clear example of bipartisanship and democracy at work.
While I was passing through the metal detectors in the Rhode Island
Airport, I met a security guard, Walter Shepherd, whose daughter lived
with MS and whose very close friend still suffers from this illness.
Mr. Shepherd asked me and Jack Reed what we were doing to help.
For Walter, and the hundreds of thousands of others who are impacted
by this illness, this resolution is on the floor today as a sign that
Congress knows of the battle they fight and win each day.
There is a great deal of uncertainty for someone facing the early
stages of a chronic illness.
MS patients may first call their doctor because of some difficulty
with their coordination.
Or perhaps they see an eye doctor because of a problem with their
vision--only to learn that these are signs of a much more serious
disease.
350,000 Americans have felt that uncertainty first hand, and now live
every day of their life with MS.
In Rhode Island, 3,000 people fight this illness. And for each, there
are friends and family who fight by their side.
As MS patients know, the nerve fibers in the body's central nervous
system are coated with a fatty sheath that protects our nerves from
damage. Multiple Sclerosis attacks the protective sheath around the
nervous system, and this results in endless complications for MS
patients.
Muscles, vital organs, and normal body functions are the primary
targets of this illness. But just as harmful are the by-products of its
progressive attack--pain, paralysis, blindness, an inability to walk,
and even the loss of independence.
Health insurance costs, medical bills, the need for physical therapy
and costly medications--all of these concerns come into play when a
patient is faced with a disease that has an annual cost per patient of
some $34,000.
But there is hope. Our federal commitment to finding treatments for
such illnesses should remain paramount as we finalize legislation in
these final days of this session of Congress.
The good news is that with each day that passes, MS is brought closer
to extinction.
This illness, once treated with herbs and X-rays, is now able to be
stabilized by modern medications.
Because of modern medical treatments and therapies, patients with MS
are able to live full and productive lives, and have seen their life
expectancy increase with each new technology.
And while there isn't a cure today, I believe that day is coming
quickly.
To reach this goal, I have joined with many others in Congress to
double the budget of the National Institutes of Health.
Many members and I, in both the House and in the other body, see this
increase as an investment against human suffering.
NIH researchers, working primarily in hospitals, research
laboratories and teaching facilities across the nation, are looking for
cures to thousands upon thousands of illnesses.
While research on MS at the NIH is ongoing, I want to commend the
National Multiple Sclerosis Society and its members for realizing that
NIH research on any number of neurological illnesses might find the
cure for MS.
Our federal commitment to all medical research at the NIH must be
supported. We have seen time and again that it is far less costly, in
terms of dollars and suffering, to research and prevent an illness than
to treat the symptoms.
And finally, as the House sponsor of this legislation, I encourage
medical professionals in our communities to learn more about this
illness, and to support efforts that will bring an end to this disease.
Mr. SHIMKUS. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this resolution which
draws attention to the chronic and often crippling disease of multiple
sclerosis.
This issue is very personal to me, as I have known two people who
suffered from this illness. The sister of one of my staffers, Mary
Uram, ailed with MS for over a decade before she passed away. Another
friend of mine died at an early age due to this debilitating disease.
Generally, people are diagnosed with MS between the ages of 20 and
40, but the physical and emotional effects can be lifelong. MS is
devastating--not only to their medical well-being but also to the
personal and financial stability of the individual and those caring for
them. Often, this ailment can result in loss of employment and
isolation from a community.
It is fortunate that advances in research and treatment are giving
hope to those affected by the disease. This resolution will help to
increase awareness and demonstrate Congressional support for research
into the causes and possible treatments for MS. It will also recognize
the significant contributions of national and community organizations
in this effort.
I would like to end by commending Representative Bob Weygand and his
staffer, Karl, on their hard work in brining this bipartisan bill to
the floor.
Mr. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H. Con. Res. 271:
``Expressing the Sense of the Congress for Activities to Increase
Public Awareness of Multiple Sclerosis.'' This resolution, introduced
by Mr. Weygand, addresses a disease that can strike any American.
Multiple sclerosis is an often debilitating, chronic disease of the
central nervous system, which strikes individuals in their third,
fourth and fifth decades of life. Its onset can be elusive, and the
course of the disease unpredictable; symptoms come and go, and can
range in severity from mild numbness in the limbs to paralysis.
However, the toll of multiple sclerosis on America's public health is
real.
H. Con. Res. 271 identifies the need for varied approaches to
fighting this still somewhat mysterious disease. It highlights the need
for an increase in Federally-funded research into causes and treatments
of multiple sclerosis, including identification of genetic factors and
development of more effective therapies. The bill also recognizes the
importance of getting the most up-to-date medical information to health
professionals and the American public. These initiatives may enhance
the quality of patient care, which is the third part of the equation.
H. Con. Res. 271 promotes increased and equal access to quality health
care for all individuals diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. This is
something I endorse for our entire nation, and setting up model
programs around diseases as ravaging as multiple sclerosis is an
excellent place to start.
I support this resolution, and hope my colleagues will do so as well.
Mr. TAUZIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Gibbons). The question is on the motion
offered by the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Tauzin) that the House
suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution, H. Con. Res.
271.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor
thereof) the rules were suspended and the concurrent resolution was
agreed to.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
____________________